Many different exercise devices exist today that have one or more footpads for receiving and supporting the feet of a user during the performance of an exercise. The footpads in these exercise devices may reciprocate along a path or rotate about a closed loop, simulating a running, walking, striding, and/or climbing motion for the individual using the device. These machines are commonly referred to as elliptical machines, striders, and/or steppers.
The angle of a footpad on some exercise devices (e.g., striders) steppers) may remain constant as the footpad travels along its path or about its closed loop during the performance of an exercise. The angle of footpads on other exercise devices (e.g., elliptical machines) may change as the footpad travels along its path or about its closed loop during the performance of an exercise. Regardless, the position of the footpad on these exercise devices is often rigidly secured to one or more link arms on the exercise device and cannot be selectively adjusted by a user.
This lack of adjustability can be problematic, as different users may desire differing angular positions for the footpads on an exercise device. For example, individuals with flat feet, fallen arches, or other foot ailments may require the footpads on an exercise device to be at a certain position. Even absent foot ailments, different individuals may simply prefer different footpad positions. In addition, some users may prefer that the footpads on an exercise device be in one position when they are using the device at one speed (e.g., to walk) or difficulty level and at a different position when they are using the device at another speed (e.g., to run) or difficulty level. Other users may prefer different angular positions of footpads in order to target a specific muscle group.
Unfortunately, there is no simple and efficient way to vary the position of a footpad on an exercise device. Solutions that do exist often comprise complex or intricate mechanisms. However, many of these are difficult to operate at best, and are also expensive to manufacture and cumbersome to assemble.